Best Sandwiches in Vancouver – Mapped

22 Secret Sandwiches of Vancouver

All the sandwiches you may not know about from Cevapi to Giuseppe and where to eat them – MAPPED.

If you are dubious as to decent Vancouver sandwiches, grab our Secret Sandwiches map and head down the list. We were pleasantly surprised to quickly amass such a roster of stellar sandwiches in Vancouver to share with you, which just goes to show don’t judge a Vantucky by its cover. We have the goods here in the Couve my good eating people, you just need this map and a hearty appetite. Let’s begin.

Featured Sandwich:

Pescado Torta from Little Conejo

What: Taqueria most excellent making homemade masa for their tortillas with a vast library of mezcal and fun cocktails. You can order your Torta (carnitas, suadero, pescado, etc.) Tuesdays through Saturdays at lunchtime only.

4. Gyros Cafe

What: New addition the neighborhood with an unendingly friendly and humble Pakistani born proprietor who serves freshly made everything including mango lassi, pizzas and on the weekends, Indian Buffet! Market adjoining next door for absolutely everything middle eastern and Halal you could want for cooking at home.

Classic Italian

9. La Bottega

What: Always busy local favorite serving pastas and Italian food, plus sandwiches that are excellent and a flat out great value for lunch and has a great selection of homemade desserts, Italian cold cuts and Italian groceries. Neighborhood gem.

Why: The Giuseppe with real live quality prosciutto or the Veggie Sandwich we recently had that was loaded with roasted veggies and pesto. Tuna also is grilled fresh and then mixed with a little caper, onion, mayo and provolone to make most sublime and refined tuna melts.

Bahn Mi

10. Bahn Mi Saigon for Meatball Banh Mi with Fried Egg

Where: Hazel Dell in the parking lot at Brothers Cascade Brewing that is home to a few great trucks and a very pleasant, large canopied eating space with picnic tables.

What: Just like the name says, Bahn Mi. Our Vietnamese friend recently reported, ” . . . this was the best bahn mi I’ve had since visiting Ho Chi Minh City.” So there you have it. Very fresh sandwiches and from a bright yellow truck. Everything from char sui pork to lemongrass chicken to beef.

Bavarian Twist

11. Anchor End Pretzel Shoppe

Where: Downtown Vancouver in a funky “park” / courtyard that is also home to Mack Shack Burritos.

What: Sister truck to the restaurant (Anchor End Eurocafe and Bakery) that recently landed in Eater PDX’s “hottest restaurants in Portland.” Born in Seattle, now living in Vancouver and Portland. Hungarian / Polish food including homemade pretzels.

Why: The Trustafarian which is a nice toothsome homemade veggie “patty” on a pretzel roll. But really, it’s such a small menu and everything’s great so take some friends and get one of everything.

Mexican

12. Taqueria Portland Mexican Market

Where: Fourth Plain, inside, but I’m not sure how exactly, the National Guard recruiting office.

What: Mexican market and butchery that houses a great little taqueria. Besides sandwiches they have all the “normal” taqueria offerings and sopes and good soups and seafood dishes.

Why: The Huarache (any meat, really, but we like the chorizo) and the Torta.

Balkan

13. Bosnia Restaurant

Why: Cevapi, of course, which is little burger cigars between a roll served with bracing raw white onion, red pepper ajvar sauce and sour cream. Or you can get a “burger” sort of sandwich which is ground beef stuffed with cheese. It’s a no-nonsense, quiet, somewhat stern but not unfriendly place to get something a bit different and not pay an arm and a leg for it. Old school feels without the sense they’re trying to be. You can eat alone and disappear because it’s a little dark and there are leather corner booths to nuzzle down into. You can read about Bosnian history at the table.

Old Fashioned Feels

16. Rosemary Cafe

What: Homey feeling breakfast and luncheon cafe serving awesome soups, sandwiches and salads. A little bit grandma vibe but not in a bad way. Lots of neat kitschy items like antique radios if you’re into that kind of thing. Very affable and sincere staff and good no-frills food. Local favorite.

Why: The cranberry chicken salad is their famous sandwich and it is our personal favorite, but Rosemary’s also has a good grilled cheese and club sandwich as well as a very satisfying but not-too-unwieldy panini.

Honorable Mention: Popped up and Coming Soon

20. Nonavo

Why: Damn if every single sandwich has not been a masterpiece including a neat cauliflower sando. See pictorial roster below.

Consider this a sort of trailer, for Nonavo Pizza popped up with sandwiches (meaning, they hosted sandwich pop-ups) on Mondays this past winter, and therefore no formal sandwich shop exists. YET. Please accept apologies for the tease and keep abreast of their progress. The sandwiches were so good that they necessitate a mention. It’s kind of like that child prodigy tennis player or actor who had such a precocious debut that she had to retreat back into her family and friends to live a normal life before turning pro, lest the premature fame and fortune at such a young age go to her head and cause all kinds of problems later. Here are some of the sandwiches we saw this past winter:

Honorable Mention: Coffee Shop Sandwiches

21. Boomerang Bistro

What: We love this gorgeous airy, light and bright NON PROFIT cafe/bistro and event space with a focus on coffee, pastries and light sandwiches. Charcuterie board and hummus plate for early dinner. Wine and beer available too. Lots of well-lit space to read, do work or have a meeting.

Why: Good people doing good things serving good food and coffee. Can’t go wrong there. We like the grilled Italian sandwich that has green dressed with a nice caeser-like dressing. Also not technically a sandwich, but somewhat of a rarity in Vancouver: the Avocado toast. It’s artfully plated and delicious.